NYU Black Renaissance Noire Fall 2015 Volume 15.2 | Page 17
Rialto Bridge – Grand Canal
I wear a sweater and put my mother’s
passport picture in the back pocket of
my jeans. I do not take anything else.
Beauty says I should start learning to
wear sexy clothes, if I want to attract
good customers later.
“Beauty, I am not here to sell my
body, I am here to go to a nursing
school,” I stop and stare at her so
she understands me well.
We walk down a long stony street. At a
side pavement a man is drawing Jesus
on the cross. I do a sign of the cross.
The weather is warm and many people
are walking the streets with light clothes,
but I am cold. We cross a small fruit
shop and Beauty buys apples and gives
me one. I am about to bite into the
apple, but I see Matron’s face on it.
I throw it away and Beauty starts
laughing, thinking I don’t know how
to eat an apple.
“I want to see a beach,” I tell Beauty.
“The nearest beach is too far from
here we cannot walk to it, but let’s go
through Rialto Bridge to the Grand
Canal, you can see the water from
there and also the Rialto Market where
they sell good jewelry and leather bags.”
The bridge is made of shiny white
marbles that reflect like mirrors and
there are big pillars on both sides.
Where we walk it is high and below it
there are small boats sailing from one
end to the other. I remember Ipoba
River Bridge that I crossed the day I
went for my oath, though not this high
nor this beautiful.
“Those small boats you see below
are called Gondolas,” Beauty’s voice
sounds far away.
We are in the middle of the bridge and
I get close to the edge where a large
banner hangs from the pillars. I stop to
look at a red gondola; two men and a
woman are paddling it. Beauty asks if
I like the water and puts her hand on
my shoulder.
“Yes, I like it, it is cleaner than Ipoba
river.”
I keep looking at the gondola coming
closer. I can see the faces of the people
inside it now. Prince and Ohenlen are
paddling. Matron sits in the back, she
has a stethoscope round her neck and
she is wearing a nurse’s white uniform.
Now I remove Beauty’s hand from my
shoulder and decide to tell Matron
and Prince that I will never sell my
body for them in Italy. And I jump. n
BLACK RENAISSANCE NOIRE
“Beauty stop crying, let’s go out and
walk around. Is there a beach around
here? Or else let’s just keep walking,”
I tell her forcefully.
“Ok o. Let’s go sha, we will not take a
bus because sometimes police raid buses
and you don’t have proper papers yet.”
15
Uyi comes home early today with
shopping bags full of food stuff and
fruits. I don’t say much other than
welcome. My eyes are red and she goes
straight to Beauty’s room and I hear
her screaming and cursing. I go to the
bathroom and close the door and start
vomiting. Uyi enters the bathroom and
sees me holding my throat; she says
nothing, but slams the door. I wash up
and look in the mirror and I see my
mother’s face, not angry not smiling.
My mother is just staring at me.
I run out to Beauty’s room and she is
crying again.